1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable cooking appliances, and particularly to a portable microwave oven with a protective frame adapted for use in rugged environments, such as a construction site.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable microwave ovens have been used in a wide variety of environments where such a device would be convenient. Portable microwave ovens typically have a similar structure to conventional microwave ovens, but are sized or shaped to be either conveniently carried or conveniently stored in the particular environment or environments in which the user wishes to cook food. Such ovens, although having a shape or size that is well adapted towards portability, still maintain a conventional microwave oven housing structure; i.e., conventional walls formed from metal or plastic, which are designed to withstand typical stresses found in kitchens and other conventional environments. Such microwave ovens are not well adapted to dangerous environments, such as construction sites, where the ovens may be subjected to heavy vibration, accidental blows from tools, falling waste and construction materials, and other injurious shocks and stresses.
Although some microwave ovens have been designed with enhanced stability in mind, such ovens typically include a wall structure having ribs or supports designed to support weight that may be placed on top of the oven. It would be desirable to provide a microwave oven that, in addition to having a stable housing capable of supporting weight, also provides shock-absorbing functionality to absorb accidental shock and strain, thus minimizing damage to sensitive components of the microwave oven. Thus, a portable microwave oven with protective frame solving the aforementioned problems is desired.